The present invention relates to separable fasteners or fastening devices, in particular to hook and loop fasteners, a flexible band equipped with such fasteners and a method of using such flexible band.
In its more particular aspects, the hook and loop fastener or fastening device of the present development is of the type comprising a first fastener portion provided with a fastener pile, for instance a fastener pile containing hooks or both hooks and loops. This first fastener portion is intended to cooperate with a second fastener portion which is provided with a fastener pile which contains loops or both hooks and loops.
It is well known in the art of hook and loop fasteners or fastening devices that such contain two flat fastener or closure portions each of which comprises a fastener pile. When these two flat fastener portions are brought into contact with one another by exerting thereat a slight mutual pressure these two flat fastener portions adhere to one another. These mutually engaging fastener portions are capable of withstanding quite appreciable forces when such forces are applied approximately parallel to the surface of the fastener portions. Both of the fastener portions can be again separated from one another by tearing them apart in a direction away from one another by accomplishing a lifting motion of one of the fastener portions relative to the other.
There are basically two types of hook and loop fasteners which are known. One type, for instance which has become widely known in the art under the trademark "VELCRO" provides the one fastener portion with a fastener pile which exclusively consists of hooks and the other fastener portion comprises a fastener pile which exclusively consists of loops. The other type of hook and loop fasteners or fastener devices provide both the fastener portions with an associated fastener pile which contains both hooks and loops. It is here specifically noted that the fasteners or fastening devices of the present invention can be of the one or of the other aforementioned types of hook and loop fasteners.
With the prior art hook and loop fasteners the fastener pile of the fastener portions constitutes a relatively fragile or delicate element. In particular, the hooks composed of a monofilament can permanently deform when exposed to repeated and pronounced compressive loads, for instance when such fastener hooks are pressed against a hard support or surface. Also with time the loops of the loop-type fastener pile can be pressed flat against their associated base or foundation fabric. In both cases such so-to-speak "aging" phenomenon leads to the undesirable result that both of the fastener portions gradually no longer tend to reliably engage with one another, and thus, with time no longer afford any sufficient mutual attachment or interconnection to one another. The same also holds true in those situations where a hook and loop fastener, whose fastener portions engage with one another, are exposed to compressive overloading or excess loads throughout a longer period of time.